However, the Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were proving poorly adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit,[4] while the groups and squadrons acting as RTUs were disbanded or inactivated,[5] this resulted in the 305th, along with other units at Dale Mabry, being disbanded in the spring of 1944[1] and its personnel and aircraft were transferred to the 335th Army Air Force Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit Fighter).[6]

In November the 131st and its squadrons were transferred to Tactical Air Command and moved to George Air Force Base, California, at George, the unit was scheduled to be re-equipped with Republic F-84D Thunderjets for deployment to Japan, however the F-84s were instead sent to France and the squadron remained in California with Mustangs for the remainder of its federal service. The 170th was released from active duty and returned to Illinois state control on 1 December 1952 and its personnel, equipment and mission at George were transferred to the active duty 435th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.[7]

After returning to Springfield, the 170th was equipped with the North American F-86E Sabre. However, only about a half-dozen Sabres were received before the squadron began receiving Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks, the first F-84F arrived in February 1955. The squadron's mission was changed to what was termed a "Special Delivery" squadron, and the 170th began training on the tactical delivery of nuclear weapons, being renamed the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1958.

On 1 October 1961, as a result of the 1961 Berlin Crisis, the 170th was again federalized and assigned to the 131st Tactical Fighter Group, the 170th remained at Springfield, while elements of the 131st deployed to Toul-Rosières Air Base, France to form the 7131st Tactical Fighter Wing. The 131st Tactical Fighter Wing, was composed of three federalized National Guard squadrons and their supporting squadrons. However, only its 110th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed as a unit to France, the 170th rotated personnel to Toul during their period of activation, however aircraft and personnel deployed to Toul were maintained at a level equivalent to a single squadron at any one time.

While in France, the Guardsmen trained with elements of the United States Seventh Army and maintained a 24-hour alert status, the 7131st exchanged air and ground crews with the Royal Danish Air Force's 730th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Skydstrup Air Station, Denmark during May 1962. As the Berlin situation subsided, all activated ANG units were ordered to be returned to the United States and released from active duty, while the 7131st Wing was discontinued in France.

The 170th reformed in Illinois in the fall of 1962, retaining its F-84F Thunderstreaks, on 15 October 1962, the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand, and the 183d Tactical Fighter Group was established. The 170th became the new group's flying squadron. Other units assigned into the group were the 183d Material Squadron, 183d Combat Support Squadron and the 183d USAF Dispensary.

The squadron continued to fly the F-84F aircraft throughout the 1960s, the squadron did not see service during the Vietnam War, although, between 1968 and 1971, many of its personnel were activated as individuals and some saw service in Southeast Asia. All F-84Fs were grounded in November 1971, after a 170th pilot was killed when his plane lost a wing during exercises at the Hardwood Gunnery range in Findley, Wisconsin, the accident was caused by the "milkbone" bolt in the wing, weakened by years of flying, failing in-flight. Inspections of other F-84Fs found the same issue affected many other aircraft, the problem was deemed too widespread to justify the costly repair of the aircraft, and the Air Force decided to retire the Guard's fleet of F-84Fs and replace them with more modern aircraft. All F-84s were retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The 170th flew the Thunderstreak for more than a decade and a half, longer than any other squadron in the active force or the Air National Guard.

In 1972, the squadron was the first Air National Guard unit to receive the McDonnell F-4C Phantom II. Most of its aircraft were planes returning combat from Southeast Asia. Along with the F-4C, a flight of RF-4C Phantom II Reconnaissance aircraft were received; in 1981, the F-4Cs were exchanged for the F-4D.

The 170th saw its first General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon on 7 June 1989 when two landed at Capital Airport to replace the squadron's aging F-4D Phantom IIs. By 5 May 1990 the 170th was operational with the F-16A/B, its mission was fighter attack and the squadron flew the "Block 15" for this mission. On 15 March 1992 the squadron changed designation from the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron to the 170th Fighter Squadron. Three years later, it would be reassingned to the 183d Operations Group when its parent became the 183d Fighter Wing under the Air Force Objective Wing reorganization plan.

During early 1994 the 170th started to exchange its block 15 F-16A/B for block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcons with larger air inlets. Most of the block 15s were retired to AMARC, during the 1990s, the unit conducted numerous overseas deployments, including six to Southwest Asia, two to Denmark, one to Panama, one to Curaçao, and one to Thailand.

After the 9/11 attacks, the 170th increased its capability by obtaining AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING targeting pods in October 2001. Training with the new pod started immediately to get ready for a scheduled deployment in March 2002 for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Starting in January 2002 the 170th deployed for two weeks to Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona for final training with the LITENING pod, the March 2002 deployment was to be with two other units but this changed due to their Operation Noble Eagle air defense commitments. As a result, the 170th deployed by itself as the 170th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, the 170th Expeditionary Squadron replaced the 18th Squadron. Besides its duties over Afghanistan, the 170th Expeditionary Squadron performed air interdiction missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch.

In the very early morning on 17 April 2002 while on deployment in Afghanistan a pilot in a two-ship formation from the 170th mistakenly bombed a Canadian force which was practicing live firing of its weapons near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Four soldiers were killed and eight were injured, this tragedy resulted in non-judicial punishment for one of the pilots involved after their return to Springfield.

The BRAC 2005 committee report recommended the retirement of the Block 30 F-16s and the inactivation of the 170th Fighter Squadron, the BRAC commission recommended the facilities and skills of personnel assigned be realigned into a Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility. Despite a court challenge by the Governor of Illinois, the US District Judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to support the claim that the state would suffer major harm by the closure of the unit, the last F-16 departed on 23 September 2008, marking the end of the flying mission for the 183d Fighter Wing.

^Aircraft is General Dynamics F-16A block 15 serial 82-947 at Quincy Regional Airport in 1991. This aircraft was retired to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center as FG0269 on 28 October 1994.

^Aircraft is Republic F-84F-25-RE Thunderstreak serial 51-1706, taken about 1959.

^Mueller, pp. 190-191. Mueller does not show the detailed structure of the 131st Group and erroneously lists the 435th Squadron as activating on 1 January 1953. Compare Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 538.

Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN48003657.

Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN48003657. OCLC704158.

1.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
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The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft, over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U. S. Air Force, in 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons, the F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it is the second most common operational military aircraft in the world. Experiences in the Vietnam War revealed the need for air superiority fighters, boyds work called for a small, lightweight aircraft that could maneuver with the minimum possible energy loss, and which also incorporated an increased thrust-to-weight ratio. Air Force F-X proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, however, the Air Forces leadership understood that its budget would not allow it to purchase enough F-15 aircraft to satisfy all of its missions. The Advanced Day Fighter concept, renamed F-XX, gained political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard. As a result, in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member and this was the region where USAF studies predicted most future air combat would occur. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF had no plans to procure the winner. Five companies responded and in 1972, the Air Staff selected General Dynamics Model 401 and Northrops P-600 for the prototype development. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the Fighter Mafia, the high/low mix would allow the USAF to be able to afford sufficient fighters for its overall fighter force structure requirements. The mix gained broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff, defining the relationship of the LWF. The YF-16 was developed by a team of General Dynamics engineers led by Robert H. Widmer. The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute maiden flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California and its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January 1974. The test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid a potential crash, the slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time

2.
United States
–
Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

3.
Illinois
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Illinois is a state in the midwestern region of the United States, achieving statehood in 1818. It is the 6th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, the word Illinois comes from a French rendering of a native Algonquin word. For decades, OHare International Airport has been ranked as one of the worlds busiest airports, Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics. With the War of 1812 Illinois growth slowed as both Native Americans and Canadian forces often raided the American Frontier, mineral finds and timber stands also had spurred immigration—by the 1810s, the Eastern U. S. Railroads arose and matured in the 1840s, and soon carried immigrants to new homes in Illinois, as well as being a resource to ship their commodity crops out to markets. Railroads freed most of the land of Illinois and other states from the tyranny of water transport. By 1900, the growth of jobs in the northern cities and coal mining in the central and southern areas attracted a new group of immigrants. Illinois was an important manufacturing center during both world wars, the Great Migration from the South established a large community of African Americans in Chicago, who created the citys famous jazz and blues cultures. Three U. S. presidents have been elected while living in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, additionally, Ronald Reagan, whose political career was based in California, was the only U. S. president born and raised in Illinois. Today, Illinois honors Lincoln with its official slogan, Land of Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located in the capital of Springfield. Illinois is the spelling for the early French Catholic missionaries and explorers name for the Illinois Native Americans. American scholars previously thought the name Illinois meant man or men in the Miami-Illinois language and this etymology is not supported by the Illinois language, as the word for man is ireniwa and plural men is ireniwaki. The name Illiniwek has also said to mean tribe of superior men. The name Illinois derives from the Miami-Illinois verb irenwe·wa he speaks the regular way and this was taken into the Ojibwe language, perhaps in the Ottawa dialect, and modified into ilinwe·. The French borrowed these forms, changing the ending to spell it as -ois. The current spelling form, Illinois, began to appear in the early 1670s, the Illinois name for themselves, as attested in all three of the French missionary-period dictionaries of Illinois, was Inoka, of unknown meaning and unrelated to the other terms. American Indians of successive cultures lived along the waterways of the Illinois area for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, the Koster Site has been excavated and demonstrates 7,000 years of continuous habitation

4.
Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard

5.
Fighter aircraft
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A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, as opposed to bombers and attack aircraft, whose main mission is to attack ground targets. The hallmarks of a fighter are its speed, maneuverability, many fighters have secondary ground-attack capabilities, and some are designed as dual-purpose fighter-bombers, often aircraft that do not fulfill the standard definition are called fighters. This may be for political or national security reasons, for advertising purposes, a fighters main purpose is to establish air superiority over a battlefield. Since World War I, achieving and maintaining air superiority has been considered essential for victory in conventional warfare, the word fighter did not become the official English-language term for such aircraft until after World War I. In the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force these aircraft were referred to as scouts into the early 1920s, the U. S. Army called their fighters pursuit aircraft from 1916 until the late 1940s. In most languages a fighter aircraft is known as a hunter, exceptions include Russian, where a fighter is an истребитель, meaning exterminator, and Hebrew where it is matose krav. As a part of nomenclature, a letter is often assigned to various types of aircraft to indicate their use. In Russia I was used, while the French continue to use C and this has always been the case, for instance the Sopwith Camel and other fighting scouts of World War I performed a great deal of ground-attack work. Several aircraft, such as the F-111 and F-117, have received fighter designations but had no fighter capability due to political or other reasons, the F-111B variant was originally intended for a fighter role with the U. S. Navy, but it was cancelled. This blurring follows the use of fighters from their earliest days for attack or strike operations against ground targets by means of strafing or dropping small bombs, versatile multirole fighter-bombers such as the F/A-18 Hornet are a less expensive option than having a range of specialized aircraft types. An interceptor is generally an aircraft intended to target bombers and so often trades maneuverability for climb rate, fighters were developed in World War I to deny enemy aircraft and dirigibles the ability to gather information by reconnaissance. Early fighters were very small and lightly armed by later standards, and most were built with a wooden frame, covered with fabric. As control of the airspace over armies became increasingly important all of the major powers developed fighters to support their military operations, between the wars, wood was largely replaced by steel tubing, then aluminium tubing, and finally aluminium stressed skin structures began to predominate. By World War II, most fighters were all-metal monoplanes armed with batteries of guns or cannons. By the end of the war, turbojet engines were replacing piston engines as the means of propulsion, further increasing aircraft speed. Since the weight of the engine was so less than on piston engined fighters. This in turn required the development of ejection seats so the pilot could escape, in the 1950s, radar was fitted to day fighters, since pilots could no longer see far enough ahead to prepare for any opposition. Since then, radar capabilities have grown enormously and are now the method of target acquisition

6.
Illinois Air National Guard
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The Illinois Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Illinois Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Illinois though the office of the Illinois Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Under the Total Force concept, Illinois Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Illinois ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the History of the Illinois Air National Guard is traced to an armory on Michigan Avenue and 16th Street in Chicago, in 1927. This was the first home of the 108th Observation Squadron, the oldest unit in the Illinois Air National Guard, the original 16 officers and 74 enlisted men were mostly World War I veterans from Chicago, flying PT-1 aircraft. From this small contingent grew a major operation that moved to Midway Municipal Airport, the unit distinguished itself in World War II, performing anti-submarine patrols in North American O-47 aircraft from a base near the Panama Canal. In September 1943, the unit was inactivated, another, later, Illinois ANG unit originated during World War II as the 304th Fighter Squadron, which was activated on 23 July 1942. The 304th FS was assigned to the 337th Fighter Group at the Pinellas County Airport, Florida, and served as a training unit equipped with the P-39 Airacobra. The 304th FS was disbanded on 1 May 1944 and these unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. Ralph Pickering, the 169th FS held its first drill in December 1946, by the end of the first year, the unit consisted of 40 officers and 215 airmen. The original base consisted of a runway and a single hangar for eight F-51D Mustang fighters, four AT-6 trainers. The first annual training was held at Midway Municipal Airport, with flying done at Douglas Field. Lastly, on 30 September 1948, Federal recognition was granted to the 170th Fighter Squadron, during the Korean War, the 170th Fighter Squadron was ordered to federal duty for 21 months on 1 March 1951. Ten days later, the deployed to Bergstrom Air Force Base. In April the unit was re-designated the 170th Fighter Bomber Squadron, on 31 July, the 170th moved to George Air Force Base, California and was assigned to the Tactical Air Command. The unit participated in Operation Longhorn, a joint Army-Air Force maneuver at Waco, in August 1952 the Squadron re-deployed to Springfield, Illinois

7.
183rd Fighter Wing
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The 183d Wing is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, stationed at Capital Airport Air National Guard Station, Springfield, Illinois. If activated to service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. A non-flying wing, the 183d Wing is tasked with augmenting Component Numbered Air Force in both the Air and Space Operations Centers and the Air Force Forces staff, A1 to A9, the primary unit of the 183d Wing is the 183d Air Operations Group. The 183 AOG is capable of augmenting C-NAF staffs worldwide, therefore affording AOG personnel the opportunity to train at various locations - CONUS and OCONUS. The role of the AOG is to assist the AOC in organizing, planning, the 183rd AOG is aligned with Twelfth Air Force / AFSOUTH at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The 170th TFS becoming the flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 183d Material Squadron, 183d Combat Support Squadron, the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron was equipped with Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks. It continued to fly the aircraft throughout the 1960s, the squadron was not activated for service during the Vietnam War, although from 1968 to 1971 many of its personnel were activated and some saw service in Southeast Asia. All F-84Fs were grounded in November 1971, after a 170th pilot was killed when his plane lost a wing during exercises at the Hardwood Gunnery Range in Findley, Wisconsin. The accident was caused by the milkbone joining bolt in the wing which had been weakened by years of flying. All RF-84F aircraft were grounded after inspections of other F-84Fs in the Air National Guard found the same issue affected many other aircraft. The problem was deemed too widespread to justify the repair of the aircraft. Along with the F-4C, a flight of RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft were received, in 1981, the F-4Cs were exchanged for the F-4D Phantom II. The 170th saw its first General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon on 7 June 1989 when two landed at Capital Airport to replace the aging F-4D Phantom II, by May 5,1990, the 170th TFS was operational with the F-16A. Its mission at the time was fighter attack and was provided the Block 15 for this job, during early 1994 the 170th FS started to exchange their Block 15 F-16A/B for Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon with the big inlet design. Most of the Block 15s were retired straight to AMARC, during the 1990s, the unit conducted numerous overseas deployments, including six to Southwest Asia, two to Denmark, one to Panama, one to Curaçao, and one to Thailand. After the September 11,2001, attack, the 170th FS increased its capability by obtaining AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pods in October 2001. Training with the new pod started immediately and included some internal personnel as some were trained on use of the pod as well as training from the Wisconsin ANG, the purpose of the training was to get ready for deployment in March 2002 for Operation Enduring Freedom

8.
Squadron (aviation)
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In most armed forces, two or more squadrons will form a group or a wing. Some air forces use the term squadrons for non-flying ground units. In contrast to United States Air Force units where flying squadrons are separate from supporting administrative and aircraft maintenance squadrons, in United States Marine Corps Aviation the nomenclature squadron is also used to designate all battalion-equivalent, aviation support organizations. These squadrons include, wing headquarters, tactical air command, air control, air support, aviation logistics, wing support, exceptions are USN helicopter mine countrmeasures squadrons, USMC composite medium tilt-rotor squadrons, heavy helicopter and light/attack helicopter squadrons, and Marine attack squadrons. Although part of U. S. naval aviation, United States Coast Guard aviation units are centered on an air station versus a squadron or group/wing organizational structure, the one exception to this is the Coast Guards Helicopter Interdiction Squadron, which is engaged primarily in counter-narcotics interdiction operations. In U. S. Army Aviation, flying units may be organized in battalions or squadrons reporting to an aviation brigade, an escadron is the equivalent unit in Frances Armée de lAir. It is normally subdivided into escadrilles of eight aircraft, in the Air Training Corps of the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations, a Squadron is a group of cadets who parade regularly. In the U. S. Civil Air Patrol, a squadron is the administrative unit. In the Swedish Air Force a helicopter squadron is a detachment from the Helicopter Wing

9.
Dale Mabry Field
–
For the World War II use of the airport, see Dale Mabry Army Airfield Dale Mabry Field is a former airport 3.4 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida. It was replaced in 1961 by Tallahassee Regional Airport and the land is now the campus of Tallahassee Community College, some of the runways are used for parking. In 1928 the City of Tallahassee purchased a 200-acre tract of land for $7028 for its first municipal airport, the land was previously a dairy farm operated by Ervin Bostick Revell and Theodore B. The airfield had one grass runway, the airport was dedicated on November 11,1929 with its first manager being Ivan Munroe. Munroe was part owner and eventually full owner of Tallahassees first airplane and was a flight instructor, Munroe also formed the Tallahassee Aircraft Company with Jeff Lewis, Frank Lewis and Dick Weeks after serving as a Navy pilot in the Jacksonville area during World War II. The company offered flight training, aerial photography and charter service, atlantic Gulf Coast Airlines began flights at the airport during its first month. By 1934 the airport had 4 sod runways with the longest at 2,600 feet, in 1937 Dale Mabry Field had two paved runways with a single hangar at the northwest corner of the field. In 1938 Eastern Airlines began flying to Memphis, Birmingham, and Montgomery, National Airlines began service to Jacksonville, Pensacola, Mobile and New Orleans that year. The manager was listed as Ivan Munroe, senator Claude Pepper and Florida Governor Spessard Holland influenced the Army to make Dale Mabry Field a United States Army Air Forces airfield. In October 1940 military activity began with the construction of a railroad siding, hundreds of laborers began clearing swampland for temporary quarters for Dale Mabry Army Air Base. The need to train pilots prompted the government to set a 90-day completion deadline. It was used as a training base by III Fighter Command. Eastern Airlines and National Airlines continued to use Mabry, but like other civil airports, the air base was deactivated in 1945. After the war the barracks on the field were used by students attending the Florida State College for Women under a program called the Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida. In 1947 the Florida State College for Women became the coeducational Florida State University, the TBUF program was then discontinued. The areas of Dale Mabry Field used by students were called West Campus. The August 1951 diagram shows runway 9,4620 by 300 ft, runway 13,5240 by 400 ft, the airport was the airline airport for Tallahassee in the 1940s and 1950s, but encroachment of the urban area led to the need for a new airport. Tallahassee Regional Airport opened in 1961 and Dale Mabry Field closed, the land was redeveloped in the 1960s into the campus of Tallahassee Community College

10.
338th Bombardment Group
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The 338th Bombardment Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was last active with Continental Air Command at OHare International Airport, the group was activated by III Fighter Command as a fighter Operational Training Unit during World War II with the 305th, 306th, and 312th Fighter Squadrons assigned as its operational elements. The groups mission was to newly trained pilots and provide combat training prior to their overseas deployment. Initially equipped with the P-39 Airacobra, later using P-47 Thunderbolts, in June 1943, the 312th Fighter Squadron moved to Perry Army Airfield, Florida. The group was disbanded in 1944, and its personnel, equipment, reconstituted as an element of Continental Air Command and redesignated as the 338th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy at Orchard Place Airport, Illinois as an Air Force Reserve B-29 Superfortress Group. However, ConAC did not have the funding nor personnel to stand up the organization, constituted as the 338th Fighter Group on 16 July 1942 Activated on 22 July 1942 Disbanded on 4 May 1944. Reconstituted and redesignated 338th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 5 May 1947 Activated on 12 June 1947, 560th Bombardment Squadron, 1947–1949 561st Bombardment Squadron, 1947–1949 562d Bombardment Squadron, 1947–1949 563d Bombardment Squadron, 1947–1949. afhra. af. mil/

11.
Bell P-39 Airacobra
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The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II. The P-39 was used by the Soviet Air Force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U. S. fighter type in the Eastern European theatre. Other major users of the type included the Free French, the Royal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Designed by Bell Aircraft, it had a layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage, although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing high-altitude work. As such it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR where most air combat took place at medium, together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell. It was a request for a single-engine high-altitude interceptor having the mission of interception. Despite being called an interceptor, the aircrafts role was simply an extension of the traditional pursuit role, using a heavier. This was the most demanding set of fighter specifications USAAC had presented to that date and this happened because H. M. Poyer, designer for project leader Robert Woods, was impressed by the power of this weapon and pressed for its incorporation. This was unusual, because fighter design had previously driven by the intended engine. Although devastating when it worked, the T9 had very limited ammunition, a low rate of fire, a secondary benefit of the mid-engine arrangement was that it created a smooth and streamlined nose profile. Much was made of the fact that this resulted in a configuration “with as trim, entry to the cockpit was through side doors rather than a sliding canopy. There were no problems with propeller shaft failure, the XP-39 made its maiden flight on 6 April 1938. At Wright Field, Ohio, achieving 390 mph at 20,000 ft, however, the XP-39 was found to be short on performance at altitude. Flight testing had found its top speed at 20,000 feet to be lower than the 400 mph claimed in the original proposal, as originally specified by Kelsey and Saville, the XP-39 had a turbo-supercharger to augment its high-altitude performance. Bell cooled the turbo with a scoop on the side of the fuselage. Kelsey wished to shepherd the XP-39 through its early engineering teething troubles, the XP-39 project was handed over to others, and in June 1939 the prototype was ordered by General Henry H. Arnold to be evaluated in NACA wind tunnels to find ways of increasing its speed, tests were carried out, and Bell engineers followed the recommendations of NACA and the Army to reduce drag such that the top speed was increased 16%

12.
Aircrew
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Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flights crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the duration, in commercial aviation, the aircrew are called flight crew. Historical flightdeck positions include, Captain, the designated as the Pilot-In-Command. First Officer, another pilot who is not the pilot-in-command, and is seated to the right of the captain. Second Officer, a person lower in rank to the First Officer, the rank of Second Officer was traditionally a Flight Engineer, who was often the person who handled the engine controls. In the 21st century second officers on some airlines are pilots who act as relief on long haul flights. Third Officer, a person lower in rank to a Second Officer, largely redundant in the present day. The number of crew members assigned to a flight depends in part on the length of the flight. Flight Engineer, an originally called an Air Mechanic. On older aircraft, typically between the late-1920s and the 1970s, the Flight Engineer was the member responsible for engines, systems. The Flight Engineers position is commonly staffed as a Second Officer, Flight engineers can still be found in the present day, used on airline or air freight operations still flying such older aircraft. The position is typically crewed by a dual-licensed Pilot-Flight Engineer in the present day, the airborne sensor operator is considered a principal flight crew or aircrew member. Navigator, also called Air Navigators or Flight Navigators, modern electronic navigation systems made the navigator redundant by the early 1980s. Aircraft cabin crew members can consist of, Purser or In-flight Service Manager or Cabin Services Director, is responsible for the crew as a team leader. Flight attendant or Cabin Crew, is the member responsible for the safety of passengers. Historically during the era of commercial aviation, the position was staffed by young cabin boys who assisted passengers. Cabin boys were replaced by female nurses, originally called stewardesses, the medical background requirement for the flight attendant position was later dropped. Flight medic, is a specialized paramedic employed on air ambulance aircraft or flights, on non-cargo aircraft, weight and balance tasks are performed by the flight crew

13.
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
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The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II era fighter aircraft produced by the United States between 1941–1945. Its primary armament was eight. 50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a load of 2,500 pounds. When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine which was used by two U. S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat, the P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces fighters of World War II, and served with Allied air forces including France, Britain, and Russia. Mexican and Brazilian squadrons fighting alongside the U. S. were equipped with the P-47, the armored cockpit was relatively roomy and comfortable, offering good visibility. A modern-day U. S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, both had fled from their homeland to escape the Bolsheviks. In 1939, Republic Aviation designed the AP-4 demonstrator powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine with a belly-mounted turbocharger. While the resulting Republic P-43 Lancer was in limited production, Republic had been working on an improved P-44 Rocket with a powerful engine. The latter was an aircraft powered by the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V-12 engine. The United States Army Air Corps backed the project and gave it the designation XP-47, as the war in Europe escalated in spring 1940, Republic and the USAAC concluded that the XP-44 and the XP-47 were inferior to the Luftwaffe fighters. Republic unsuccessfully attempted to improve the design, proposing the XP-47A, kartveli then designed a much larger fighter, which was offered to the USAAC in June 1940. The Air Corps ordered a prototype in September, to be designated the XP-47B, the XP-47A, which had little in common with the new design, was abandoned. The XP-47B was of construction with elliptical wings, with a straight leading edge that was slightly swept back. The air-conditioned cockpit was roomy and the seat was comfortable—like a lounge chair. Main and auxiliary self-sealing fuel tanks were placed under the cockpit, the cowling admitted cooling air for the engine, left and right oil coolers, and the turbosupercharger intercooler system. At full power, the pipes glowed red at their forward ends, the complicated turbosupercharger system with its ductwork gave the XP-47B a deep fuselage, and the wings had to be mounted in a relatively high position. This was problematic since long-legged main landing gear struts were needed to provide clearance for the enormous propeller

14.
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
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The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production, the Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. P-40 Warhawk was the name the United States Army Air Corps and after June 1941, USAAF-adopted name for all models, making it the official name in the U. S. for all P-40s. The British Commonwealth and Soviet air forces used the name Tomahawk for models equivalent to the P-40B and P-40C, P-40s first saw combat with the British Commonwealth squadrons of the Desert Air Force in the Middle East and North African campaigns, during June 1941. However, between 1941 and 1944, the P-40 played a role with Allied air forces in three major theaters, North Africa, the Southwest Pacific, and China. It also had a significant role in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Alaska, the P-40s performance at high altitudes was not as important in those theaters, where it served as an air superiority fighter, bomber escort and fighter-bomber. The P-40 offered the advantage of low cost, which kept it in production as a ground-attack aircraft long after it was obsolete as a fighter. On 14 October 1938, Curtiss test pilot Edward Elliott flew the prototype XP-40 on its first flight in Buffalo, the first prototype placed the glycol coolant radiator in an underbelly position on the fighter, just aft of the wings trailing edge. USAAC Fighter Projects Officer Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey flew this prototype some 300 miles in 57 minutes, hiding his disappointment, he told reporters that future versions would likely go 100 miles per hour faster. Kelsey was interested in the Allison engine because it was sturdy and dependable, Curtiss engineers worked to improve the XP-40s speed by moving the radiator forward in steps. Seeing little gain, Kelsey ordered the aircraft to be evaluated in a NACA wind tunnel to identify solutions for better aerodynamic qualities, from 28 March to 11 April 1939, the prototype was studied by NACA. Based on the data obtained, Curtiss moved the glycol coolant radiator forward to the chin, other improvements to the landing gear doors and the exhaust manifold combined to give performance that was satisfactory to the USAAC. Without beneficial tail winds, Kelsey flew the XP-40 from Wright Field back to Curtisss plant in Buffalo at an speed of 354 mph. Further tests in December 1939 proved the fighter could reach 366 mph, an unusual production feature was a special truck rig to speed delivery at the main Curtiss plant in Buffalo, New York. The rig moved the newly built P-40s in two components, the main wing and the fuselage, the eight miles from the plant to the airport where the two units were mated for flight and delivery. The P-40 was conceived as an aircraft and was agile at low and medium altitudes. At medium and high speeds it was one of the tightest-turning early monoplane designs of the war, and it could out turn most opponents it faced in North Africa and the Russian Front. In the Pacific Theater it was out-turned at lower speeds by the lightweight fighters A6M Zero, the American Volunteer Group Commander Claire Chennault advised against prolonged dog-fighting with the Japanese fighters due to speed reduction favouring the Japanese

15.
United States Army Air Forces
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Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff. S. Army to control its own installations and support personnel, the peak size of the AAF during the Second World War was over 2.4 million men and women in service and nearly 80,000 aircraft by 1944, and 783 domestic bases in December 1943. By V-E Day, the Army Air Forces had 1.25 million men stationed overseas, in its expansion and conduct of the war, the AAF became more than just an arm of the greater organization. By the end of World War II, the Army Air Forces had become virtually an independent service and this contrast between theory and fact is. fundamental to an understanding of the AAF. Gen. Billy Mitchell that led to his later court-martial, a strategy stressing precision bombing of industrial targets by heavily armed, long-range bombers emerged, formulated by the men who would become its leaders. Since 1920, control of units had resided with commanders of the corps areas. Both were created in 1933 when a conflict with Cuba seemed possible following a coup détat. Activation of GHQ Air Force represented a compromise between strategic airpower advocates and ground force commanders who demanded that the Air Corps mission remain tied to that of the land forces. GHQ Air Force organized combat groups administratively into a force of three wings deployed to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts but was small in comparison to European air forces. Corps area commanders continued to control over airfields and administration of personnel. The expected activation of Army General Headquarters prompted Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall to request a study from Chief of the Air Corps Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold resulting on 5 October 1940 in a proposal for creation of an air staff, unification of the air arm under one commander, and equality with the ground and supply forces. Marshall implemented a compromise that the Air Corps found entirely inadequate, naming Arnold as acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Air but rejecting all organizational points of his proposal. GHQ Air Force instead was assigned to the control of Army General Headquarters, although the latter was a training and not an operational component, when it was activated in November 1940. A division of the GHQ Air Force into four air defense districts on 19 October 1940 was concurrent with the creation of air forces to defend Hawaii. The air districts were converted in March 1941 into numbered air forces with an organization of 54 groups. Marshall had come to the view that the air forces needed a simpler system, Arnold and Marshall agreed that the AAF would enjoy a general autonomy within the War Department until the end of the war, while its commanders would cease lobbying for independence. Marshall, a proponent of airpower, left understood that the Air Force would likely achieve its independence following the war

16.
National Guard of the United States
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All members of the National Guard of the United States are also members of the militia of the United States as defined by 10 U. S. C. National Guard units are under the control of the state. The majority of National Guard soldiers and airmen hold a civilian job full-time while serving part-time as a National Guard member, local militias were formed from the earliest English colonization of the Americas in 1607. The first colony-wide militia was formed by Massachusetts in 1636 by merging small older local units, the various colonial militias became state militias when the United States became independent. The title National Guard was used from 1824 by some New York State militia units, National Guard became a standard nationwide militia title in 1903, and specifically indicated reserve forces under mixed state and federal control from 1933. The first muster of militia forces in what is today the United States took place on September 16,1565, appropriately enough, this muster occurred in the shadow of an oncoming hurricane. This Spanish militia tradition and the English tradition that would be established to the north would provide the nucleus for Colonial defense in the New World. The militia tradition continued with the first permanent English settlements in the New World, Jamestown Colony and Plymouth Colony both had militia forces, which initially consisted of every able bodied adult male. By the mid-1600s every town had at least one militia company, as a result of the Spanish–American War, Congress was called upon to reform and regulate the training and qualification of state militias. The first national laws regulating the militia were the Militia acts of 1792, in 1903, with passage of the Dick Act, the predecessor to the modern-day National Guard was formed. It required the states to divide their militias into two sections, the law recommended the title National Guard for the first section, known as the organized militia, and Reserve Militia for all others. During World War I, Congress passed the National Defense Act of 1916, Congress also authorized the states to maintain Home Guards, which were reserve forces outside the National Guards being deployed by the Federal Government. The National Guard of the states, territories, and the District of Columbia serves as part of the first-line of defense for the United States. C. Where the National Guard operates under the President of the United States or his designee, the governors exercise control through the state adjutants general. The National Guard may be called up for duty by the governors to help respond to domestic emergencies and disasters, such as hurricanes, floods. The National Guard is administered by the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity of the Army, the National Guard Bureau provides a communication channel for state National Guards to the DoD. S. C. The National Guard Bureau is headed by the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, prior to 2008, the functions of Agricultural Development Teams were within Provincial Reconstruction Teams of the US Government. Today, ADTs consist of soldiers and airmen from the Army National Guard, today, ADTs bring an effective platform for enhanced dialogue, building confidence, sharing interests, and increasing cooperation amongst the disparate peoples and tribes of Afghanistan

17.
North American P-51 Mustang
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The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission, the Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force. Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design, the prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940,102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October. The Mustang was originally designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine and it was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. The addition of the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the P-51B/C model transformed the Mustangs performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft, the P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian and Pacific theaters. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft, despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. After the Korean War, Mustangs became popular civilian warbird and air racing aircraft, in April 1940 the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. Self was given responsibility for Royal Air Force production and research and development, and also served with Sir Wilfrid Freeman. Self also sat on the British Air Council Sub-committee on Supply and one of his tasks was to organize the manufacturing and supply of American fighter aircraft for the RAF. At the time, the choice was limited, as no U. S. aircraft then in production or flying met European standards. The Curtiss-Wright plant was running at capacity, so P-40s were in short supply, North American Aviation was already supplying its Harvard trainer to the RAF, but was otherwise underutilized. NAA President Dutch Kindelberger approached Self to sell a new medium bomber, instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture the Tomahawk under license from Curtiss. Kindelberger said NAA could have an aircraft with the same engine in the air sooner than establishing a production line for the P-40. In March 1940,320 aircraft were ordered by Sir Wilfred Freeman who had become the head of the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The NA-73X, which was designed by a led by lead engineer Edgar Schmued, followed the best conventional practice of the era. One was a wing designed using laminar flow airfoils which were developed co-operatively by North American Aviation and these airfoils generated very low drag at high speeds. The results of this test showed the superiority of the wing designed with the NAA/NACA 45–100 airfoils, the other feature was a new cooling arrangement that reduced the cooling drag. It was later discovered that, after lot of development, the assembly could take advantage of the Meredith Effect

18.
128th Fighter Group
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The 128th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, stationed at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If activated to service in the United States Air Force. The 128th Air Refueling Wing principal mission is air refueling, the wing enhances the Air Forces capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power. It also provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, the wing is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations. Moved to England in November 1943, flew first mission, escorting B-24s that attacked V-weapon launching sites near Pas de Calais, on 8 February 1944. Until April 1944, engaged chiefly in escorting bombers that struck factories, railroads, airfields, reassigned to Ninth Air Force on 13 April 1944 and repeatedly attacked communications in northern France and in Belgium during Apr and May, in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Moved to the Continent early in July 1944 and bombed enemy troops to aid the Allied breakthrough at St Lo later that month, supported the subsequent advance of ground forces toward the Rhine by attacking railroads, trucks, bridges, power stations, fuel dumps, and other facilities. Bombed and strafed such targets as flak positions, armored vehicles, continued operations until May 1945 then was assigned to occupation duty. The wartime 362d Fighter Group was re-designated as the 128th Fighter Group and it was organized at General Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was extended federal recognition on 29 Jun 1948 by the National Guard Bureau. The 128th Fighter Group was bestowed the history, honors, the 126th Fighter Squadron and 176th Fighter Squadrons were assigned as the groups flying squadrons. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 128th Headquarters, 128th Material Squadron, 128th Combat Support Squadron, the 176th FS operated from Truax Field, near Madison. The group was allocated to the Air Defense Command with a mission of air defense of the lower Great Lakes and it was re-designated as the 128th Fighter-Interceptor Group on 1 November 1950. The Group and 126th returned to Milwaukee, on 15 April 1956, the 176th FIS was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 115th Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 176th FIS becoming the flying squadron. The Group continued its air defense mission though the 1950s, being upgraded to F-86F Sabres in 1957, the 128th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was transferred to Strategic Air Command on 1 August 1961 and was equipped with second-line KC-97 Stratotankers. The 128th was the first Air National Guard tanker unit to become fully operational and this occurred in December 1963 when combat ready status was achieved. The group participated in an operation in a foreign land for a sustained period of time without a call up. The 128th ARG, along with four other Air National Guard refueling units, stationed a contingent of its KC-97s at Rhein-Main Air Base and it was designated Operation Creek Party and was destined to last for 10 years

19.
Wisconsin Air National Guard
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The Wisconsin Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Wisconsin, United States of America. It is, along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Wisconsin Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Wisconsin through the office of the Wisconsin Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Wisconsin Air National Guard is headquartered in Madison. Under the Total Force concept, Wisconsin Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Wisconsin ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The wing currently operates the latest generation of such as the JDAM series bombs. The wing enhances the Air Forces capability to accomplish its missions of Global Reach. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities, 128th Air Control Squadron Maintains, volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center Provides a year-round integrated training environment for units to enhance their combat capabilities and readiness. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the Wisconsin Air National Guard origins date to 30 July 1940 with the establishment of the 126th Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 126th Observation Squadron was ordered into service on 2 June 1941 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Wisconsin ANG received federal recognition on 25 June 1947 as the 126th Fighter Squadron at General Mitchell Field, Milwaukee. It was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state, on 6 October 1948 the 176th Fighter Squadron was formed at Truax Field, Madison, also equipped with F-51D Mustangs with an air defense mission. On 23 June 1948, the 126th Fighter Squadron was authorized to expand to a group level, the 115th Fighter-Interceptor Group was federally recognized at Madison on 15 April 1956 when the 176th Fighter Squadron was expanded to a Group. Today, the 128th Air Refueling Wing provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the 115th Fighter Wing files the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon fighter and is part of the USAF Air Combat Command attack forces performing air-interdiction and close air support. After the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, also, Wisconsin ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed. Wisconsin State Defense Force Wisconsin Wing Civil Air Patrol This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/

20.
126th Composite Wing
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The 126th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Belleville, Illinois. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 108th Air Refueling Squadron, assigned to the Wings 126th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the World War I 108th Aero Squadron, additionally, the unit can support airlift missions. The unit is tasked with supporting the nuclear strike missions of the Single Integrated Operational Plan. During peacetime, the 126th ARW receives direction through the adjutant general of Illinois, the governor of Illinois, upon federal mobilization, the wing is assigned to Air Mobility Command and the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. 126th Operations Group 108th Air Refueling Squadron 126th Maintenance Group 126th Mission Support Group 126th Medical Group, initially, the group was equipped with B-26s and served as a replacement training unit. Moved to RAF Stansted, England, January–February 1944 and assigned to Ninth Air Force, beginning in May, the 344th helped prepare for the Normandy invasion by striking vital bridges in France. Another action of the 344th was to knock out bridges to hinder the German Armys withdrawal through the Falaise gap, on 30 September the 344th moved to their Advanced Landing Ground at Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France, France. While at Stansted the group flew over 100 missions, and lost 26 aircraft in combat, after V-E Day the group moved to Schleissheim, Germany for occupation duty and began training with Douglas A-26 Invaders, but continued to use B-26 aircraft. It was transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the United States on 15 February 1946 where it was inactivated, allotted to Illinois Air National Guard on 24 May 1946 and assigned to Chicago Municipal Airport. Extended federal recognition on 29 June 1947, redesignated 126th Composite Group in November 1950, and 126th Bombardment Group in February 1951. The unit was ordered to service on 1 April 1951 as a result of the Korean War. The unit was assigned to Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB. The wing moved to Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base, France with the first elements arriving in November 1951, the 126th BW was assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe. By 10 November, Bordeaux was considered a base and was assigned to the 12th Air Force. At Bordeaux, the 126th BW consisted of the 108th, 168th and 180th Bomb Squadrons, the aircraft were marked by various color bands on the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Black/Yellow/Blue for the 108th, Black/Yellow/Red for the 168th, and Black/Yellow/Green for the 180th and it flew B-26s for training and maneuvers and stayed at Bordeaux AB until being transferred Laon AB, France on 25 May 1952 where it remained for the balance of the year. In 1955, redesignated as the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group, equipped with F-86Ds, on 1 July 1961, the 125ths mission was changed to an air refueling one and was redesignated as the 126th Air Refueling Group, being assigned the KC-97 aircraft

21.
126th Composite Group
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The 126th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Illinois Air National Guard, stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Belleville, Illinois. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. The 108th Air Refueling Squadron, assigned to the Wings 126th Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the World War I 108th Aero Squadron, additionally, the unit can support airlift missions. The unit is tasked with supporting the nuclear strike missions of the Single Integrated Operational Plan. During peacetime, the 126th ARW receives direction through the adjutant general of Illinois, the governor of Illinois, upon federal mobilization, the wing is assigned to Air Mobility Command and the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. 126th Operations Group 108th Air Refueling Squadron 126th Maintenance Group 126th Mission Support Group 126th Medical Group, initially, the group was equipped with B-26s and served as a replacement training unit. Moved to RAF Stansted, England, January–February 1944 and assigned to Ninth Air Force, beginning in May, the 344th helped prepare for the Normandy invasion by striking vital bridges in France. Another action of the 344th was to knock out bridges to hinder the German Armys withdrawal through the Falaise gap, on 30 September the 344th moved to their Advanced Landing Ground at Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France, France. While at Stansted the group flew over 100 missions, and lost 26 aircraft in combat, after V-E Day the group moved to Schleissheim, Germany for occupation duty and began training with Douglas A-26 Invaders, but continued to use B-26 aircraft. It was transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the United States on 15 February 1946 where it was inactivated, allotted to Illinois Air National Guard on 24 May 1946 and assigned to Chicago Municipal Airport. Extended federal recognition on 29 June 1947, redesignated 126th Composite Group in November 1950, and 126th Bombardment Group in February 1951. The unit was ordered to service on 1 April 1951 as a result of the Korean War. The unit was assigned to Tactical Air Command at Langley AFB. The wing moved to Bordeaux-Merignac Air Base, France with the first elements arriving in November 1951, the 126th BW was assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe. By 10 November, Bordeaux was considered a base and was assigned to the 12th Air Force. At Bordeaux, the 126th BW consisted of the 108th, 168th and 180th Bomb Squadrons, the aircraft were marked by various color bands on the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Black/Yellow/Blue for the 108th, Black/Yellow/Red for the 168th, and Black/Yellow/Green for the 180th and it flew B-26s for training and maneuvers and stayed at Bordeaux AB until being transferred Laon AB, France on 25 May 1952 where it remained for the balance of the year. In 1955, redesignated as the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group, equipped with F-86Ds, on 1 July 1961, the 125ths mission was changed to an air refueling one and was redesignated as the 126th Air Refueling Group, being assigned the KC-97 aircraft

22.
Korean War
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The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the days of World War II. In August 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, as a result of an agreement with the United States, U. S. forces subsequently moved into the south. By 1948, as a product of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, Korea was split into two regions, with separate governments, both governments claimed to be the legitimate government of all of Korea, and neither side accepted the border as permanent. The conflict escalated into open warfare when North Korean forces—supported by the Soviet Union, on that day, the United Nations Security Council recognized this North Korean act as invasion and called for an immediate ceasefire. On 27 June, the Security Council adopted S/RES/83, Complaint of aggression upon the Republic of Korea and decided the formation, twenty-one countries of the United Nations eventually contributed to the UN force, with the United States providing 88% of the UNs military personnel. After the first two months of war, South Korean forces were on the point of defeat, forced back to the Pusan Perimeter, in September 1950, an amphibious UN counter-offensive was launched at Inchon, and cut off many North Korean troops. Those who escaped envelopment and capture were rapidly forced back north all the way to the border with China at the Yalu River, at this point, in October 1950, Chinese forces crossed the Yalu and entered the war. Chinese intervention triggered a retreat of UN forces which continued until mid-1951, after these reversals of fortune, which saw Seoul change hands four times, the last two years of fighting became a war of attrition, with the front line close to the 38th parallel. The war in the air, however, was never a stalemate, North Korea was subject to a massive bombing campaign. Jet fighters confronted each other in combat for the first time in history. The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed, the agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. However, no treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war. Periodic clashes, many of which are deadly, continue to the present, in the U. S. the war was initially described by President Harry S. Truman as a police action as it was an undeclared military action, conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. In South Korea, the war is referred to as 625 or the 6–2–5 Upheaval. In North Korea, the war is referred to as the Fatherland Liberation War or alternatively the Chosǒn War. In China, the war is called the War to Resist U. S

23.
Bergstrom Air Force Base
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It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War. In its later years, it was transferred to the Tactical Air Command, at the time of its closure, it was assigned to the Air Combat Command. The airfield was converted for civilian use, with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport beginning passenger flights in 1999. Del Valle Airfield was activated on 19 September 1942 on 3,000 acres leased from the City of Austin, the lease agreement stipulated that the land would revert to the city if the government abandoned it. He was the first Austinite killed in World War II, the base was again renamed Bergstrom Field on 11 November 1943. With the establishment of the United States Air Force in September 1947, generally, aircrews were formed at other airfields and received their primary training there. Once that was completed, they received advanced training at Bergstrom before moving on to their operational units overseas, the airfield support groups at Bergstrom provided all the support functions necessary for the administration and operation of the airfield. After leaving Bergstrom it transferred to the Mediterranean theater, being assigned to Ninth Air Force, the group transported supplies and evacuated casualties in support of the Allied drive across North Africa. It provided transition training for pilots, using DC-3s and later C-47s, began training replacement crews in March 1944. The unit was disbanded on 14 April 1944 and its mission was to train Nationalist Chinese crews to operate the C-46 Commando transport aircraft. It was inactivated on 7 September 1946, once training was completed, it transferred to McChord Field, Washington in August 1947. At Bergstrom,15 July 1947 –22 October 1948 Flew, C-82 Squadrons, once training was completed, it transferred to the RAF base at Fassberg Germany, arriving on 9 November 1948 to take part in the airlift. With the end of World War II, and the creation of the U. S. Air Force in 1947, with the departure of the 347th TCG in 1948, the runways were extended to accommodate the new generation of jet aircraft. The first SAC unit to use Bergstrom was the 447th Bombardment Group equipped with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, operational squadrons were, 708th Bombardment Squadron 709th Bombardment Squadron The 447th was a former Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress unit that was allocated to the Reserves in 1945. It was activated at Bergstrom on 12 August 1947 with two squadrons of B-29s and returned to operational flying training missions. On 26 June 1949, the unit was transferred to Castle AFB, on 16 March 1949, the 27th Fighter Wing was transferred to Bergstom AFB from Kearney AFB, Nebraska under the 8th Air Force. The F-82F/G models operated as night fighters equipped with radar and they were painted black and had flame-dampened exhausts. The 27th SFW transitioned to jet aircraft with Republic Aviation F-84E Thunderjet in 1950, and was redesignated the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing on 1 February

24.
131st Fighter-Bomber Group
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The 131st Bomb Wing is a unit of the Missouri Air National Guard, stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, Missouri. If activated to service, the wing is gained by the United States Air Force Global Strike Command. It is a unit of the active-duty 509th Bomb Wing. The 131st Bomb Wing is the only Air National Guard wing to fly the B-2 Spirit, the 110th Bomb Squadron, which is assigned to the wings 131st Operations Group, is a descendant organization of the World War I 110th Aero Squadron, established on 14 August 1917. Demobilized in November 1918, it was re-established on 23 June 1923 as the 110th Observation Squadron, the unit is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. It is the oldest unit in the Missouri Air National Guard, with over 90 years of service to the state, Charles Lindbergh was a pilot of the 110th, Missouri National Guard, when he made his famous 1927 flight. The wing also organizes, trains, and prepares a community-based force of ready Citizen-Airmen to defend, the 364th FG flew escort, dive-bombing, strafing, and patrol missions in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. At first the group operated primarily as escort for B-17 and B-24 Liberator heavy bombers, the 364th also flew air-sea rescue missions, engaged in patrol activities, and continued to support ground forces as the battle line advanced through France and into Germany. Took part in the effort to invade the Netherlands by air, September 1944, the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 – January 1945, and the assault across the Rhine in March 1945. It was organized at Lambert Field, St Louis, and was extended federal recognition on 15 July 1946 by the National Guard Bureau, the 131st Fighter Group was bestowed the history, honors, and colors of the wartime 364th Fighter Group. Assigned to the Missouri ANG 57th Fighter Wing, the 131st Fighter Group controlled the 110th Fighter Squadron in St. Louis and the 180th Bombardment Squadron at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, St Joseph. The status of the 131st was changed from a Group to a Wing on 31 Oct 1950 when the 71st Fighter Wing was inactivated, on 1 March 1951 the 110th was federalized and brought to active-duty due to the Korean War. It was initially assigned to Strategic Air Command and transferred to Bergstrom AFB, the 131st Fighter-Bomber Group was composed of the 110th Fighter Squadron, the 192d Fighter Squadron, the 178th Fighter Squadron, and the 170th Fighter Squadron. At Berstrom, its mission was a replacement for the 27th Fighter-Escort Group which was deployed to Japan as part of SACs commitment to the Korean War. The unit was at Bergstrom until November when it was transferred to Tactical Air Command and moved to George AFB, the 110th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was released from active duty and returned to Missouri state control on 1 December 1952. Returning to Lambert Field, the 131st was re-formed as a bombardment squadron in January 1953. It received B-26 Invaders that returned from the Korean War and trained primarily in bombardment missions. With the removal of the B-26 from bombing duties in 1957 as they neared the end of their service lives, the 110th entered the Jet Age

25.
110th Bomb Squadron
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The 110th Bomb Squadron is a unit of the Missouri Air National Guard 131st Bomb Wing located at Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, Missouri. The 110th is equipped with the B-2 Spirit, the 110 BS is the oldest unit in the Missouri Air National Guard, with over 90 years of service to the state and nation. It is a descendant organization of the World War I 110th Aero Squadron, the 131st Bomb Wing, of which the 110th Bomb Squadron is a part, is the only Air National Guard Bomb Wing certified to conduct nuclear operations. Established at Kelly Field, Texas in August 1917 as the 110th Aero Squadron, constructed facilities and engaged in supply and related base support activities. Later re-designated as 804th Aero Squadron, then Squadron K, Kelly Field in July 1918, demobilized 1918 shortly after the Armistice with Germany. Established by the Militia Bureau on 23 June 1923, which authorized the organization of the 110th Observation Squadron, 35th Division of Aviation. First Headquarters was located in a station on Manchester Avenue. From there it was moved to a room over a grocery store on Olive Street Road In St Louis County. Meetings were held at the Airport, then more than a pasture, there were no airplanes. The First flying Equipment was a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny which was purchased by the officers of the squadron, the planes were housed in a corrugated sheet metal hangar erected on the field during the National Air Races in 1923 and later turned over to the squadron. Additional aircraft and equipment were received throughout 1924 and by the end a well received training program was in effect. Only eighteen months had elapsed since the unit was formally organized, during the next few years the JN-4s were replaced by the PT-1, TW-3, O-11, and O-2H aircraft and the unit assumed a mission of observation and reconnaissance. Their chief pilot on the St. Louis to Chicago airmail run was a man named Charles Lindbergh. Lindbergh soon became a member of the 110th and held the rank of captain when he made his historic 1927 Trans-Atlantic solo flight, men, equipment, and unit headquarters consolidated in a new hangar at Lambert Field in 1931. Summer field training conducted in the 1930s allowed 110th members to hone their skills on the K-17 Aerial Camera, the Douglas O-38 aircraft was received in 1933 and replaced in 1938 by the North American O-47A, an all-metal mid-wing observation aircraft. The units first summer encampments were held in 1924 and 1925 at Camp Clark Nevada, subsequent encampments were at Fort Riley Kansas, Lambert Field St Louis, Eglin Field Florida, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and St Cloud Minnesota. The Guardsmen were ordered into service on 23 December 1940 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps after the Fall of France. The unit was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas and initially flew patrols over the Gulf of Mexico

26.
Missouri Air National Guard
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The Missouri Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Missouri, United States of America. It is, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, an element of the Missouri National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Missouri Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Missouri though the office of the Missouri Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Missouri Air National Guard is headquartered at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, St. Joseph, under the Total Force concept, Missouri Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Missouri ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The 139th remains globally engaged in continuing operations, 231st Civil Engineer Squadron Headquarters Augmentation Unit provides staff augmentation, project management, engineering support and construction oversight. The Missouri Air National Guard origins date to 14 August 1917 with the establishment of the 110th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I United States Army Air Service, after the 1918 Armistice with Germany the squadron was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units. Early in 1923 a group of local St. Louis aviation enthusiasts including Major William B. Robertson and his brothers Frank and Dan, went to Washington to seek support for selection of St. Local newspapers informed the public that enlistments would not be limited to aviators, members would be paid for a maximum of 60 drills a year which were described as periods of instruction in ground work, machine-shop practice and flying. War maneuvers would be taught and bombing and machine gun firing would be directed at targets on the nearby Missouri River. Personnel assigned to the Photo Section would learn to make pictures for use in war and intelligence Personnel would be trained as Scouts of the Air, a five-day recruiting drive enlisted a total of 110 men, most of whom were World War I veterans. On June 23,1923 the 110th Observation Squadron, 110th Photo Section and 110th Intelligence Section, 35th Division and it is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The 110th Observation Squadron was ordered into service on 23 December 1940 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Missouri ANG received federal recognition on 3 July 1946 as the 71st Fighter Wing at Lambert Field, St. Louis. The 131st Fighter Group and its 110th Fighter Squadron received federal recognition on 15 July, the 110th Fighter Squadron was equipped with F-51D Mustangs, and the mission of the Missouri ANG was the air defense of the state

27.
192d Fighter-Bomber Squadron
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The 192d Airlift Squadron is a unit of the Nevada Air National Guard 152d Airlift Wing located at Reno Air National Guard Base, Nevada. The 192d is equipped with the C-130H Hercules, activated in October 1943 as the 408th Fighter Squadron at Hamilton Field, California. During World War II, the squadron was an Operational Training Unit, equipped with second-line P-39 Airacobras and its mission was to train newly graduated pilots from Training Command in combat tactics and maneuvers before being assigned to their permanent combat unit. Initially assigned to IV Fighter Command, then transferred to III Fighter Command in 1944 and it took part in air-ground maneuvers and demonstrations, participating in the Louisiana Maneuvers in the summer of 1944 and in similar activities in the US until after V-J Day. The wartime 408th Fighter Squadron was re-activated and re-designated as the 192d Fighter Squadron and it was organized at Reno Air Force Base, Nevada and was extended federal recognition on 12 April 1948 by the National Guard Bureau. The 192d Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history, honors, during its early years with the F-51D, the unit earned prominence as one of the Air Forces most respected aerial gunnery competitors. On 1 March 1951 the 192d was federalized and brought to active-duty due to the Korean War and it was initially assigned to Strategic Air Command and transferred to Bergstrom AFB, Texas and assigned to the Federalized Missouri ANG 131st Fighter-Bomber Group. The 131st FBG was composed of the 192d FS, the 110th Composite Squadron, 170th Fighter Squadron, at Bergstrom, its mission was a filler replacement for the 27th Fighter-Escort Group which was deployed to Japan as part of SACs commitment to the Korean War. The unit was at Bergstrom until November when it was transferred to Tactical Air Command and moved to George AFB, the 192d Fighter-Bomber Squadron was released from active duty and returned to Nevada state control on 15 October 1952. Returning to Reno the unit was re-formed by 1 January 1953, the 192d was transferred from Tactical Air Command to Air Defense Command with a mission of Air Defense over Nevada and Northern California. On 1 November 1954, the 192d began the transition from the piston-engine, propeller driven F-51D to its first jet aircraft, on 1 June 1955, the 192d was re-designated as the 194th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. On 19 April 1958, the 192d was authorized to expand to a level. The 192d FIS becoming the flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 192d Headquarters, 192d Material Squadron, 192d Combat Support Squadron, also in 1958, the day-only F-86As were sent to other units and the 192d received the day/night/all-weather F-86L Sabre Interceptor aircraft. In 1961 Air Defense Command was reorganizing and the 192d was transferred to Tactical Air Command, TAC re-designated the 152d as a Tactical Reconnaissance Group, and equipped the 192d TRS with RB-57B Canberra reconnaissance aircraft. Tactical Reconnaissance would be the mission of the unit for the next 30 years, the RB-57s were the reconnaissance version of the B-57 Canberra light bomber, which has replaced the World War II B-25 Mitchell during the Korean War. The RB-57s were used by the active-duty Air Force beginning in the mid-1950s, the 192d used the RB-57s primarily to carry out photographic surveys of areas hit by natural disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes. It was placed on alert during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, in 1965 the RF-4C Phantom II began to enter active USAF service, and the 192d received supersonic McDonnell RF-101H Voodoos to replace the subsonic RB-57s

28.
Nevada Air National Guard
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The Nevada Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Nevada, United States of America. It is, along with the Nevada Army National Guard, an element of the Nevada National Guard, the units of the Nevada Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Nevada though the office of the Nevada Adjutant General unless it is federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Nevada Air National Guard is headquartered at the Nevada Joint Force Headquarters, Fallon, under the Total Force concept, Nevada Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Nevada ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. About 65 Nevada Guard airmen work at the detachment that began operation in 2005. Staff reports at the conclusion of the fiscal year revealed that the Nevada Air Guard reported 102 percent of its authorized manning. In fact, with its 102 percent of authorized airmen, the Nevada Air Guard had one of the highest strength levels in the entire Air National Guard in October 2006. 92nd Civil Support Team A joint force unit comprising 22 soldiers and airmen headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas. The unit, for Weapons of mass destruction, began operation in late 2004 and promises to be an important resource and these unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The Nevada Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 192nd Fighter Squadron at Reno Air Force Base and it was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and its mission was the air defense of the state. Today, the 152nd Airlift Wing has a wartime mission of providing rapid airlift and airdrop of cargo. They can also fly reconnaissance missions in support of military command and control operations, counter drug operations, disaster relief and photo mapping for federal and state agencies. The 232nd Operations Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Indian Springs is a unit of the USAF 432nd Wing, operating the MQ-1 Predator UAV reconnaissance aircraft. The 92nd Civil Support Team is trained in WMD response, after the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, elements of every Air National Guard unit in Nevada has been activated in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Also, Nevada ANG units have deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Nevada Wing Civil Air Patrol This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, Nevada Air National Guard Nevada National Guard

29.
27th Fighter-Escort Group
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The 27th Special Operations Group is the flying component of the 27th Special Operations Wing, assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The group is stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, during World War II, its predecessor unit, the 27th Bombardment Group fought in the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres. Its ground personnel fought as infantry in the 1941–1942 Battle of Bataan with the survivors being forced to march as prisoners in the Bataan Death March and its air echelon went on to be awarded five Distinguished Unit Citations and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The Airmen of the 27th were among the most decorated USAAF units of the war, the 27th Special Operations Group accomplishes global special operations taskings as an Air Force component member of the United States Special Operations Command. It conducts infiltration/exfiltration, combat support, helicopter and tilt-rotor aerial refueling, psychological warfare, there are several squadrons within the group. The group consisted of the 15th, 16th and 17th Bombardment Squadrons, in October of that year the group moved to Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, less the 15th Bombardment Squadron, which was reassigned to V Air Support Command on 14 October. On 21 October the group was ordered to the Philippine Islands in response to the crisis in the Pacific. Arriving at Fort William McKinley in the Philippines on 20 November, concern grew as days turned into weeks and still the planes had not arrived. When the Imperial Japanese Army attacked the Philippines on 9 December 1941, unknown to the 27th BG Airmen, to avoid capture or destruction, the ship carrying the planes was diverted to Australia when the war escalated. On 18 December Major John H. Flying from Darwin, the arrived in Brisbane on 24 December to pick up their A-24s off the ship USAT Meigs. However, as a swift Japanese advance prevented his group from returning to the Philippines, the ground echelon of the 27th still in the Philippines was evacuated south from Luzon on 25 December to the Bataan Peninsula, arriving to form the 2nd Battalion Provisional Infantry Regiment. After surrendering, they were forced to endure the infamous Bataan Death March, of the 880 or so Airmen who were taken, less than half survived captivity. However, a number of officers and enlisted men of the 27th Bomb Group were evacuated out of the Philippines in five U. S. Navy submarines just before it was overrun by the Japanese during April. In Australia, the airmen and aircraft of the 27th Bomb Group reformed into a combat unit. In early 12 February pilots of the 91st Sqdn flew their A-24s with gunners from Brisbane to Malang Java in the colonial Dutch East Indies to defend the island, the group participated in an attack on the Japanese invasion fleet landing troops on Bali. The attacks, carried out during the afternoon of 19 February and throughout the morning of 20 February, caused little damage, the group was credited with the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. From 27 February through 1 March, three A-24s of the 91st Sqdn participated in Battle of the Java Sea, for their heroic efforts in the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific during late 1941 and early 1942, the 27th Bombardment Group received three Distinguished Unit Citations. The remaining A-24 aircraft were added to the 8th Bombardment Squadron. On 4 May, on 4 May the 27th Bombardment Group was reactivated without personnel or equipment at Hunter AAF Georgia

30.
Strategic Air Command
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At a lower echelon, headquarters divisions included Aircraft Engineering, Missile Concept, and Strategic Communications. In 1992, as part of an overall post-Cold War reorganization of the U. S. Planning to reorganize for a separate and independent postwar U. S. Air Force had begun by the fall of 1945, with the Simpson Board tasked to plan. the reorganization of the Army, SAC initially totaled 37,000 USAAF personnel. S. Air Force as an independent service, kenney, initial units reporting to the Strategic Air Command headquarters on 21 March 1946 included the Second Air Force, the IX Troop Carrier Command and the 73d Air Division. In addition to the bombing mission, SAC also devoted significant resources to aerial reconnaissance. An F-13 squadron, the F-13 later re-designated as the RB-29 Superfortress, was also established, SAC conducted routine aerial reconnaissance missions near the Soviet borders or near the 12-mile international waters limit, although some missions actually penetrated into Soviet airspace. The flight profiles of these missions—above 30,000 feet and in excess of 300 knots—made interception by Soviet air forces difficult until the Soviets 1948 introduction of the MiG-15 jet fighter. Project Nanook, the Cold War’s first Top Secret reconnaissance effort, used the first RB-29 missions for mapping and visual reconnaissance in the Arctic, later missions were Project LEOPARD along the Chukchi Peninsula, followed by Projects RICKRACK, STONEWORK, and COVERALLS. In 1946, the US possessed only nine atomic bombs and twenty-seven B-29s capable at any one time of delivering them, unfortunately, postwar budget and personnel cuts had had an insidious effect on SAC as its Deputy Commander, Major General Clements McMullen, implemented mandated force reductions. This continued to wear down SAC as a command and morale plummeted, as a result, by the end of 1947, only two of SACs eleven groups were combat ready. In terms of overall Air Force basing and infrastructure, SAC continued to acquire a share of USAF infrastructure. In 1947, before the USAF was established as an independent service, construction commenced on Limestone AAF, Maine, fort Dix AAF, New Jersey, Spokane AAF, Washington, and Wendover Field, Utah were also transferred to SAC between 30 April and 1 September 1947. Following establishment of the USAF as a service, SAC bases in the United States consisted of

31.
Tactical Air Command
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Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command. Tactical Air Command was established to provide a balance between strategic, air defense, and tactical forces of the post–World War II U. S. Army Air Forces followed by, in 1947, the U. S. Air Force. In 1948, the Continental Air Command assumed control over air defense, tactical air, after two years in a subordinate role, Tactical Air Command was established as a major command. World War II showed the effectiveness of air power in supporting army ground forces. However, the demobilization in late 1945 meant that the huge air armada that had brought Germany to her knees. Following the end of World War II, Headquarters United States Army Air Forces had little funding and most wartime personnel had been released from active duty and returned to civilian life. Many USAAF aircraft were being sent to storage or scrapyards, although the tension with the Soviet Union meant that combat military air forces were still needed. The big questions were how large and what kind of forces, a major realignment of the USAAF was undertaken in early 1946. As part of the realignment, three major divisions within the Continental United States were formed, Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command. Each was given a specific responsibility, using assets prescribed to accomplish the assigned mission, Tactical Air Command was formed to command, organize, equip, train and administer assigned or attached forces. It was to plan for and participate in tactics for fighter, light bombardment and these included tactical fighters, tactical bombers, tactical missiles, troop carrier aircraft, assault, reconnaissance, and support units. TAC also planned for and developed the capability to deploy tactical striking forces anywhere in the world, during its existence, Tactical Air Command deployed personnel, material and/or aircraft to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia in support of its prescribed mission. TACs original authorization was 25,500 officers and enlisted men, aircraft assets available consisted of propeller-driven North American P-51 Mustangs, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and a handful of the new jet-powered Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars. TAC was also given control of the Third Air Force, Ninth Air Force, on 18 September 1947, the United States Air Force was established as a separate military force, with TAC as one of its major commands. At the time, there was only one U. S. Air Forces in Europe tactical air unit available in Europe, TAC was called upon to send additional units and aircraft to Europe to reinforce the 86 FG. The 36th Fighter Group, flying Lockheed F-80B Shooting Stars, was transferred from Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone to Furstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich. In addition to fighter aircraft, TAC also deployed available C-47 Skytrain transports to Europe, transferring them to USAFE

32.
George Air Force Base
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George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits,8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold War and it is now the site of Southern California Logistics Airport. Established by the United States Army Air Corps as an Advanced Flying School in June 1941 and it was again activated as a training base by the United States Air Force with the outbreak of the Korean War in November 1950. It remained a training base throughout the Cold War, primarily for Tactical Air Command training pilots in front-line USAF fighters until being closed in 1993. Since 2009, the California Air National Guards 196th Reconnaissance Squadron has operated an MQ-1 Predator Remotely Piloted Aircraft training facility at the Southern California Logistics Airport, George Air Force Base was named in honor of Brigadier General Harold Huston George. He was a World War I fighter ace, serving with the 185th and 139th Aero Squadrons, at the beginning of World War II he was assigned to the V Interceptor Command, Far East Air Force in the Philippines. There, he directed air operations in defense of the islands in Manila Bay. Withdrawn to Australia, he died on 29 April 1942 in an accident near Darwin. A Curtiss P-40 of the 49th Fighter Group, piloted by Lt. George, Time-Life war correspondent Melvin Jacoby, and base personnel 2nd Lt. Robert D. Jasper, a number of others received injuries, but the P-40 pilot survived. George Air Force Base was named for the general in June 1950. In April 1940, civic leaders from Victorville, California approached the United States Army with a proposal to develop an airfield in the High Mojave Desert. They promoted the areas 360-days per year of sunny weather, abundance of wide-open spaces, runway construction consisted of a four runway configuration along with seven hangars. To conserve critical materials, most facilities were constructed of wood, concrete, brick, gypsum board, the station was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed. There were libraries, social clubs for officers, and enlisted men, over 250 buildings, together with complete water, sewer, electric and gas utilities, the airfield served over 4,000 military personnel. Training began in February 1942 on Curtiss AT-9s, T-6 Texans, and AT-17s for pilots, the Army operated an advanced twin-engine pilot training school at the field, its graduated generally flying C-47 Skytrain transports, B-25 Michell or B-26 Marauder medium bombers. The school also trained replacement crew members in the B-25 and B-26, the first class of flying cadets graduated on April 24,1942. In addition to the training, a USAAF Bombardier training school was operated. The 516th, 517th and 518th Twin-Engine Flying Training Squadrons being the flying squadrons, Bombardier training was conducted by the 519th, 520th, 521st and 522d Bombardier Training Squadrons

33.
Republic F-84 Thunderjet
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The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a day fighter, the aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter, the Thunderjet became the USAFs primary strike aircraft during the Korean War, flying 86,408 sorties and destroying 60% of all ground targets in the war as well as eight Soviet-built MiG fighters. Over half of the 7,524 F-84s produced served with NATO nations, the USAF Strategic Air Command had F-84 Thunderjets in service from 1948 through 1957. The F-84 was the first production aircraft to utilize inflight refueling and the first fighter capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. The F-84 nomenclature can be somewhat confusing, the straight-wing F-84A to F-84E and F-84G models were called the Thunderjet. The F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash were different airplanes with swept wings, the XF-84H Thunderscreech was an experimental turboprop version of the F-84F. The F-84F swept wing version was intended to be a variation of the normal Thunderjet with only a few different parts. Production delays on the F-84F resulted in order of the straight-wing version. In 1944, Republic Aviations chief designer, Alexander Kartveli, began working on a replacement for the P-47 Thunderbolt piston-engined fighter. The initial attempts to redesign the P-47 to accommodate a jet engine proved futile due to the large cross-section of the centrifugal compressor turbojets. Instead, Kartveli and his team designed a new aircraft with a streamlined fuselage largely occupied by an axial compressor turbojet engine, in addition, the new aircraft had to use the General Electric TG-180 axial turbojet which entered production as the Allison J35. On 11 November 1944, Republic received an order for three prototypes of the new XP-84—Model AP-23, the name Thunderjet was chosen to continue the Republic Aviation tradition started with the P-47 Thunderbolt while emphasizing the new method of propulsion. On 4 January 1945, even before the aircraft took to the air, meanwhile, wind tunnel testing by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics revealed longitudinal instability and stabilizer skin buckling at high speeds. The weight of the aircraft, a concern given the low thrust of early turbojets, was growing so quickly that the USAAF had to set a gross weight limit of 13,400 lb. The results of preliminary testing were incorporated into the third prototype, designated XP-84A. The first prototype XP-84 was transferred to Muroc Army Air Field where it flew for the first time on 28 February 1946 with Major Wallace A and it was joined by the second prototype in August, both aircraft flying with J35-GE-7 engines producing 3,745 lbf. In particular, the impact of wingtip tanks on aircraft handling was not thoroughly studied, after the creation of the United States Air Force by the National Security Act of 1947, the Pursuit designation was replaced with Fighter, and the P-84 became the F-84

34.
435th Fighter-Bomber Squadron
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The 435th Fighter Training Squadron is part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operates Northrop AT-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training, the 435 FTS conducts initial instructor and student flying training for over 130 U. S. Air Force and international pilots and Weapon System Operators annually in Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. The squadron develops students proficiency, confidence, discipline, judgment, additionally, the squadron deploys to support fighter syllabus/operational training requirements for Dissimilar Air Combat Training. The 435th flew air defense prior to overseas duty then flew combat in the European Theater of Operations from,26 May 1944-25 April 1945 and it conducted air defense in Southeast Asia from,12 October-20 December 1965 and combat sorties from, July 1966-15 August 1973. The squadron trained pilots and weapon systems officers between January 1977 and February 1991. It conducted training for Taiwan Air Force pilots from, May 1993-c,31 Dec 1995 and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals training for international students from, 1998-2004

35.
North American F-86 Sabre
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The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Considered one of the best and most important fighter aircraft in that war and its success led to an extended production run of more than 7,800 aircraft between 1949 and 1956, in the United States, Japan and Italy. Variants were built in Canada and Australia, the Canadair Sabre added another 1,815 airframes, and the significantly redesigned CAC Sabre, had a production run of 112. The Sabre was by far the most-produced Western jet fighter, with production of all variants at 9,860 units. North American Aviation had produced the propeller-powered P-51 Mustang in World War II, by late 1944, North American proposed its first jet fighter to the U. S. Navy, which became the FJ-1 Fury. It was an unexceptional transitional jet fighter that had a wing derived from the P-51. Initial proposals to meet a United States Army Air Forces requirement for a medium-range, single-seat, in early 1945, North American Aviation submitted four designs. The USAAF selected one design over the others, and granted North American a contract to build three examples of the XP-86, despite the gain in speed, early studies revealed the XP-86 would have the same performance as its rivals, the XP-80 and XP-84. It was also feared that, because these designs were advanced in their development stages. Crucially, the XP-86 would not be able to meet the top speed of 600 mph. The North American F-86 Sabre was the first American aircraft to take advantage of research data seized from the German aerodynamicists at the end of World War II. By 1944, German engineers and designers had established the benefits of swept wings based on designs dating back to 1940. Study of the data showed that a wing would solve their speed problem. Because development of the XP-86 had reached a stage, the idea of changing the sweep of the wing was met with resistance from some senior North American staff. Despite stiff opposition, after results were obtained in wind tunnel tests. Many Sabres had the 6–3 wing retrofitted after combat experience was gained in Korea and this modification changed the wing airfoils to the NACA 0009-64 mod at the root and the NACA0008. 1–64 mod at the tip. Delays caused by the major redesign meant that manufacturing did not begin until after World War II, the XP-86 prototype, which would lead to the F-86 Sabre, was rolled out on 8 August 1947. The maiden flight occurred on 1 October 1947 with George Welch at the controls, flying from Muroc Dry Lake, the United States Air Forces Strategic Air Command had F-86 Sabres in service from 1949 through 1950

36.
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
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The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American-built swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design, the RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. In 1949, a swept wing version of the F-84 was created with the hope of bringing performance to the level of the F-86. The last production F-84E was fitted with a tail, a new wing with 38.5 degrees of leading edge sweep and 3.5 degrees of anhedral. It flew on 3 June 1950 with Otto P. Haas at the controls, although the airplane was capable of 602 knots, the performance gain over the F-84E was considered minor. Nonetheless, it was ordered into production in July 1950 as the F-84F Thunderstreak, the F-84 designation was retained because the fighter was expected to be a low-cost improvement of the straight-wing Thunderjet with over 55 percent commonality in tooling. Production delays with the F-84F forced the USAF to order a number of straight-wing F-84Gs as an interim measure, although tooling commonality with the Thunderjet was supposed to be 55 percent, in reality only fifteen percent of tools could be reused. To make matters worse, the F-84F utilized press-forged wing spars, at the time, only three presses in the United States could manufacture these, and priority was given to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber over the F-84. The YJ65-W-1 engine was considered obsolete and the improved J65-W-3 did not become available until 1954, when the first production F-84F finally flew on 22 November 1952, it differed from the service test aircraft. It had a different canopy which opened up and back instead of sliding to the rear, the aircraft was considered not ready for operational deployment due to control and stability problems. The first 275 aircraft, equipped with conventional stabilizer-elevator tailplanes, suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up, beginning with Block 25, the problem was ameliorated by the introduction of a hydraulically powered one-piece stabilator. A number of aircraft were retrofitted with spoilers for improved high-speed control. As a result, the F-84F was not declared operational until 12 May 1954, the second YF-84F prototype was completed with wing-root air intakes. These were not adopted for the due to loss of thrust. However, this arrangement permitted placement of cameras in the nose, the first YRF-84F was completed in February 1952. The aircraft retained an armament of four guns and could carry up to fifteen cameras. Being largely identical to the F-84F, the Thunderflash suffered from the production delays and engine problems. The aircraft was retired from duty in 1957, only to be reactivated in 1961

37.
1961 Berlin Crisis
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The Berlin Crisis of 1961 was the last major politico-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—the last to be attended by the Communist Party of China—was held in Moscow during the crisis. After the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, some of those living in the acquired areas of the Eastern Bloc aspired to independence. Between 1945 and 1950, over 15 million people emigrated from Soviet-occupied Eastern European countries to the West. Taking advantage of this route, the number of Eastern Europeans applying for asylum in West Germany was 197,000 in 1950,165,000 in 1951,182,000 in 1952 and 331,000 in 1953. By the early 1950s, the Soviet approach to controlling national movement, restricting emigration, was emulated by most of the rest of the Eastern Bloc, up until 1953, the lines between East Germany and the western occupied zones could be easily crossed in most places. Consequently, the Inner German border between the two German states was closed, and a fence erected. When large numbers of East Germans then defected under the guise of visits, accordingly, Berlin became the main route by which East Germans left for the West. The Berlin sector border was essentially a loophole through which Eastern Bloc citizens could still escape, the 4.5 million East Germans that had left by 1961 totaled approximately 20% of the entire East German population. The loss was disproportionately heavy among professionals—engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers, in November 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev issued the Western powers an ultimatum to withdraw from Berlin within six months and make it a free, demilitarised city. In response, the United States, United Kingdom, and France clearly expressed their determination to remain in. With tensions mounting, the United States, United Kingdom and France formed a group with orders to plan for an eventual response to any aggression on West Berlin. The planning group was named LIVE OAK, and staff from the three countries prepared land and air plans to access to and from West Berlin. The Soviet Union withdrew its deadline in May 1959, and the ministers of the four countries spent three months meeting. Eisenhower and Khrushchev had a few together at the US presidential retreat Camp David. There was nothing more inadvisable in this situation, said Eisenhower, than to talk about ultimatums, Khrushchev responded that he did not understand how a peace treaty could be regarded by the American people as a threat to peace. Eisenhower admitted that the situation in Berlin was abnormal and that human affairs got very badly tangled at times, Khrushchev came away with the impression that a deal was possible over Berlin, and they agreed to continue the dialogue at a summit in Paris in May 1960. However, the Paris Summit that was to resolve the Berlin question was cancelled in the fallout from Gary Powerss failed U-2 spy flight on 1 May 1960

38.
Seventh United States Army
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The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and France, originally the I Armored Corps under command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, it made landfall at Morocco during Operation Torch as the Western Task Force, the first all-U. S. Force to enter the European war, after the conquests of Palermo and Messina the Seventh Army prepared for the invasion of France by its Mediterranean coast as the lead element of Operation Dragoon in August 1944. It then drove a retreating German army north and then west toward the Alsace, in January 1945 it repelled a fierce but brief enemy counter-offensive during the German Operation Nordwind, then completed its reduction of the region by mid-March. In a lead role in Operation Undertone launched March 15th, the Seventh Army fought its way across the Rhine into Germany, capturing Nuremberg and then Munich. Elements reached Austria and crossed the Brenner Pass into Italy by May 4th, the United States officially entered World War II on 7 December 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This was followed four days later by the German declaration of war on the United States, Patton was to command the Seventh Army until early 1944. During the fighting, the elements of the Seventh Army killed or captured thousands of enemy soldiers, during the operation the Seventh and Eighth Armies came under the command of the 15th Army Group, under General Sir Harold Alexander. The headquarters of the Seventh Army remained relatively inactive at Palermo, Sicily, and Algiers until January 1944, fifth Army on the Italian Front, was assigned as commander and the Seventh Army began planning for the invasion of southern France. The invasion was given the code name of Operation Anvil. In March 1944, Major General Alexander Patch, an experienced and competent commander, was assigned to command the Seventh Army, which moved to Naples, Italy. On 15 August 1944, elements of the Seventh Army assaulted the beaches of southern France in the St. Tropez, on September 15, the Seventh was put under the field control of the 6th Army Group, under Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers. The 6th Army Group also included the French First Army, in the process, the Seventh Army had liberated Marseilles, Lyon, Toulon and all of Southern France. The Seventh Army then assaulted the German forces in the Vosges Mountains, during the Battle of the Bulge in late December, it extended its flanks to take over much of the area that had been the responsibility of U. S. Third Army, now commanded by Patton who had commanded the Seventh. In mid-January 1945, the Seventh engaged in pitched battle seeking to regain ground lost to Germanys Operation Nordwind New Years offensive, along with the French First Army, the Seventh went on the offensive in February 1945 and eliminated the Colmar Pocket. After capturing the city of Strasbourg, the Seventh went into the Saar, assaulted the Siegfried Line, in a lead role in Operation Undertone, the Seventh Army fought its way across the Rhine into Germany, captured Nuremberg and then Munich. Finally it crossed the Brenner Pass and made contact with Lieutenant General Lucian Truscotts U. S, fifth Army at Vipiteno - once again on Italian soil

39.
Royal Danish Air Force
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The Royal Danish Air Force is the aerial warfare force of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components the Army and Navy, it was made a service in 1950. It main purpose, is to serve as enforcer of Danish airspace, the air force was led by Lieutenant General C. C. J. Førslev, who had served as colonel in the army. The national command was located at Værløse Air Base which also served as Command East, Royal Air Force volunteer and former member of the Free Norwegian Forces in England, Kaj Birksted, was appointed chief of the flying staff. Further, the East and West commands lacked experience and knowledge of the newly delivered Gloster Meteor, the Danish armed forces received 38 surplus Supermarine Spitfire H. F. Mk. One survived for a number of years in a childrens playground, the one surviving instructional airframe was later restored to depict the number 401 Spitfire Mk. This airplane is now preserved at Dansk Veteranflysamling at Stauning Airfield in Jylland, pilot training was initially based at Avnø from May 1946 until 1951, when the school were transferred to the U. S. under the Military Assistance Programme. The school at Avnø continued to conduct tests to choose the candidates for the American training programme, in 1947 the RDAF established a school for aircraft mechanics, based at Værløse Air Base. In 1951, the RDAF officers school was inaugurated at Rungstedlund north of Copenhagen, the air force received six F-84E Thunderjet and 238 F-84G Thunderjet as military aid from the US, and formed five new squadrons at Karup Air Base from 1952 to 1954. The rapid expansion caused problems as neither two-seaters nor flight simulators were available, to avoid further casualties the air force established a training squadron of two-seated T-33As in 1956 to train US-educated pilots to navigate under local weather conditions. Furthermore, squadron 722 was changed to function as rescue squadron in 1956 and was strengthened by seven Sikorsky S-55 helicopters in 1957, in 1962 the Royal Danish Armys four SAM batteries based on Nike missiles were transferred to the air force. In 1965 four batteries of Hawk missiles were deployed close to the Nike batteries to protect them from low altitude aircraft, in the 1960s and 1970s the RDAF operated a number of US financed Lockheed F-104G Starfighters, North American F-100D and F-100F Super Sabres, and several other types. In 1971 the Danish army created the Royal Danish Army Flying Service as the first air-unit outside the air force, since its creation in 1950 and it had observation helicopters and piston-engined artillery spotting aeroplanes. In 1977 the Danish Naval Air Squadron was extracted from squadron 722 to the Danish navy, in a joint arms purchase four NATO countries, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium introduced the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon as their common strike fighter in January 1980. The F-16 was later bought by additional NATO countries, Greece and Turkey, in 1982 the number of fighter aircraft was reduced by 12 units. General Dynamics F-16 is introduced to replace initially the F-100 and later the F-104G, the Royal Danish Naval Air Service is strengthened by eight Westland Lynx Mk.80 from 1980, replacing the Alouette III helicopters. As a supplement to the Greenland-based C-130s the air force purchases three Gulfstream G-III, in 1990 the Danish Army Air Corps purchases 12 Eurocopter Fennec lightweight attack helicopters to strengthen capabilities to perform expeditionary mission

40.
Vietnam War
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It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war. As the war continued, the actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role. U. S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, in the course of the war, the U. S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam and they viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States. The U. S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and this was part the domino theory of a wider containment policy, with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism. Beginning in 1950, American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina, U. S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962. Regular U. S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965, despite the Paris Peace Accord, which was signed by all parties in January 1973, the fighting continued. In the U. S. and the Western world, a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture, the war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs, and altered North–South relations. Direct U. S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973, the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war, and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million. Some 240, 000–300,000 Cambodians,20, 000–62,000 Laotians, and 58,220 U. S. service members died in the conflict. Various names have applied to the conflict. Vietnam War is the most commonly used name in English and it has also been called the Second Indochina War and the Vietnam Conflict. As there have been several conflicts in Indochina, this conflict is known by the names of its primary protagonists to distinguish it from others. In Vietnamese, the war is known as Kháng chiến chống Mỹ. It is also called Chiến tranh Việt Nam, France began its conquest of Indochina in the late 1850s, and completed pacification by 1893. The 1884 Treaty of Huế formed the basis for French colonial rule in Vietnam for the seven decades

41.
Southeast Asia
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Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies near the intersection of geological plates, with seismic and volcanic activity. Southeast Asia consists of two regions, Mainland Southeast Asia, also known historically as Indochina, comprising Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar. Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Indonesia, East Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, East Timor, Brunei, Cocos Islands, definitions of Southeast Asia vary, but most definitions include the area represented by the countries listed below. All of the states are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the area, together with part of South Asia, was widely known as the East Indies or simply the Indies until the 20th century. Sovereignty issues exist over some territories in the South China Sea, Papua New Guinea has stated that it might join ASEAN, and is currently an observer. Southeast Asia is geographically divided into two subregions, namely Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia includes, Maritime Southeast Asia includes, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India are geographically considered part of Southeast Asia. Eastern Bangladesh and the Seven Sister States of India are culturally part of Southeast Asia, the eastern half of Indonesia and East Timor are considered to be biogeographically part of Oceania. Homo sapiens reached the region by around 45,000 years ago, homo floresiensis also lived in the area up until 12,000 years ago, when they became extinct. Austronesian people, who form the majority of the population in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor. Solheim and others have shown evidence for a Nusantao maritime trading network ranging from Vietnam to the rest of the archipelago as early as 5000 BC to 1 AD. The peoples of Southeast Asia, especially those of Austronesian descent, have been seafarers for thousands of years and their vessels, such as the vinta, were ocean-worthy. Magellans voyage records how much more manoeuvrable their vessels were, as compared to the European ships, Passage through the Indian Ocean aided the colonisation of Madagascar by the Austronesian people, as well as commerce between West Asia and Southeast Asia. Gold from Sumatra is thought to have reached as far west as Rome and this was later replaced by Hinduism. Theravada Buddhism soon followed in 525, in the 15th century, Islamic influences began to enter. This forced the last Hindu court in Indonesia to retreat to Bali, in Mainland Southeast Asia, Burma, Cambodia and Thailand retained the Theravada form of Buddhism, brought to them from Sri Lanka. This type of Buddhism was fused with the Hindu-influenced Khmer culture, very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the 2nd century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century CE, Hinduism and Buddhism were the religions in Southeast Asia

42.
309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group
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AMARG takes care of more than 4,400 aircraft, which makes it the largest aircraft storage and preservation facility in the world. An Air Force Materiel Command unit, the group is under the command of the 309th Maintenance Wing at Hill Air Force Base, AMARG was established in 1946 as the 4105th Army Air Force Base Unit to house B-29 and C-47 aircraft. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was chosen because of Tucsons low humidity, infrequent rainfall, alkaline soil and high altitude of 2,550 feet, reducing rust, the hard soil makes it possible to move aircraft around without having to pave the storage areas. In 1948, after the Air Forces creation as a separate service, in 1965, the depot was renamed the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, and tasked with processing aircraft for all the US armed forces. The U. S. Navy had operated its own boneyard at Naval Air Station Litchfield Park at Goodyear, Arizona, for Navy, Marine, in February 1965, some 500 aircraft were moved from Litchfield Park to Davis-Monthan AFB. NAS Litchfield Park was finally closed in 1968, in the 1990s, in accordance with the START I treaty, the center was tasked with eliminating 365 B-52 bombers. The progress of this task was to be verified by Russia via satellite, initially, the B-52s were chopped into pieces with a 13, 000-pound guillotine winched by a steel cable, supported by a crane. Later on, the tool of choice became K-12 rescue saws and this more precise technique afforded AMARG with salvageable spare parts. In May 2007, command of AMARG was transferred to the 309th Maintenance Wing, constituted on 7 October 1964 as The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center Activated on 1 February 1965 Redesignated Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center c. The 2,600 acres facility is adjacent to the base, for every $1 the federal government spends operating the facility, it saves or produces $11 from harvesting spare parts and selling off inventory. Congressional oversight determines what equipment may be sold to which customer, an aircraft going into storage undergoes the following treatments, All guns, ejection seat charges, and classified hardware are removed. All Navy aircraft are washed with fresh water, to remove salty water environment residue. The fuel system is protected by draining it, refilling it with lightweight oil and this leaves a protective oil film. The aircraft is sealed from dust, sunlight, and high temperatures and this is done using a variety of materials, including a high tech vinyl plastic compound that is sprayed on the aircraft. The plane is then towed by a tug to its storage position. There is much scrutiny over who can buy what kinds of parts, at times, these sales are canceled. AMARG is a site, and is off-limits to anyone not employed there without the proper clearance. The only access for non-cleared individuals is via a bus tour which is conducted by the nearby Pima Air & Space Museum, bus tours are on Monday to Friday

43.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
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It first entered service in 1960 with the U. S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was adopted by the U. S. Marine Corps and the U. S. Air Force. The Phantom is a fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds of weapons on nine hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon, later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for performance, including an absolute speed record. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U. S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U. S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the aircraft used by both U. S. flight demonstration teams, the USAF Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels. The F-4 was also operated by the forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with five countries, Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. The F-4 is currently used by Greece, Iran, Japan, South Korea and it has been recently used in combat against the Islamic State. In 1952, McDonnells Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis, was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the preliminary design manager. With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type, in 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine, the J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the Super Demon, the Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mock-up of the F3H-G/H, but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter. On 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and, within an hour, because the Navy already had the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor

44.
September 11 attacks
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The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11,2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia and it was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively. Suspicion for the attack fell on al-Qaeda. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although al-Qaedas leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U. S. support of Israel, the presence of U. S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. Having evaded capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U. S. Navy in May 2011. S. many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, on November 18,2006, construction of One World Trade Center began at the World Trade Center site. The building was opened on November 3,2014. The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan and helped organize Arab mujahideen to resist the Soviets. Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical, in 1996, bin Laden issued his first fatwā, calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances are reversed, Muslim legal scholars have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries, according to bin Laden. Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks, initially denied but later admitted involvement, in November 2001, U. S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen talking to Khaled al-Harbi, on December 27,2001, a second bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said, It has become clear that the West in general and it is the hatred of crusaders. Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, the transcript refers several times to the United States specifically targeting Muslims. He said that the attacks were carried out because, we are free, and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security we undermine yours, Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

45.
Litening
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The AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pod is an Israeli-designed precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft. The thousandth pod was sold in October 2010, LITENING is an integrated targeting pod that mounts externally to the aircraft. The pod also contains a CCD camera used to obtain target imagery in the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. An on-gimbal inertial navigation sensor establishes line-of-sight and automatic boresighting capability, the pod is equipped with a laser designator for precise delivery of laser-guided munitions. A laser rangefinder provides information for various systems, for example, navigation updates, weapon deliveries. These features simplify the functions of detection and recognition. The research and development program began at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Missiles Division in Israel, in 1995 Northrop Grumman Corporation teamed with Rafael for further development and sales of the LITENING pod. Northrop Grumman and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems subsequently replaced the 320x256 FLIR with a latest technology 640x512 FLIR and this pod, known as LITENING ER, extended the target detection range and was fielded in 2001. The newest version, LITENING AT, is in production and was fielded in 2003 and it further extends target detection and recognition ranges, improves the target coordinate generation accuracy, and provides multi-target cueing. LITENING AT features a plug-and-play bay configured to accept a variety of data-links. Plug and Play II data-link capability offers warfighters increased range, digital data recording, lITENINGs Plug and Play I, introduced in 2003, was the first data-link to be incorporated in a third generation targeting pod. LITENING G4, which began to be delivered to U. S. forces in 2008, added new sensors for improved target identification, the LITENING G4 provides significant enhancements in terms of both recognition range and image quality due to Rafaels AVP imaging capability. The LITENING Gen 4 technology and capability is available in a kit form that allows users to upgrade their currently fielded LITENING pods. The Royal Danish Air Force is the first international partner to take delivery of G4 pods, Rafael Advanced Systems announced on the eve of DefExpo 2014 a large order for 150+ LITENING targeting pods for the Indian Air Forces combat aircraft fleet. LITENING G4 pods have been chosen by the Indian Air Force for its fighter aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-29. LITENING SE provides laser ranging and designation in support of weapon delivery, navigational functions and this version includes a Plug-N-Play III digital two-way, data link LRU inside the pod. The pods are being delivered as part of the United States Air Forces Advanced Targeting Pod – Sensor Enhancement program, Rafael sees an increased market in the future because of the move to stealth platforms which must have targeting systems built in. The company is developing a new model to compete for the F-35 requirement, at present prototype F-35s have the equivalent of a Lockheed Martin Sniper XR built in

46.
Operation Enduring Freedom
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Operation Enduring Freedom comprises several subordinate operations, Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan, lasted from October 2001 to 31 December 2014. Government used the term Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan to officially describe the War in Afghanistan, continued operations in Afghanistan by the United States military forces, both non-combat and combat, now occur under the name Operation Freedoms Sentinel. In September 2001, U. S. President George W, the term OEF-A typically refers to the phase of the War in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. Other operations, such as the Georgia Train and Equip Program, are loosely or nominally connected. All the operations, however, have a focus on counterterrorism activities, Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan, which was a joint U. S. U. K. and Afghan operation, was separate from the International Security Assistance Force, which was an operation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations including the U. S. and the U. K. The two operations ran in parallel, although it had suggested that they merge. S. and British ships. The initial military objectives of OEF-A, as articulated by President George W, of those groups included are Abu Sayyaf Group, al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. The operation consisted of training the AFP in counter-terrorist operations as well as supporting the people with humanitarian aid in Operation Smiles. In October 2002, the Combined Task Force 150 and United States military Special Forces established themselves in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier, the stated goals of the operation were to provide humanitarian aid and patrol the Horn of Africa to reduce the abilities of terrorist organizations in the region. The military aspect involves coalition forces searching and boarding ships entering the region for illegal cargo as well as providing training, the humanitarian aspect involves building schools, clinics and water wells to enforce the confidence of the local people. Since 2001, the expenditure by the U. S. government on Operation Enduring Freedom has exceeded $150 billion. The operation continues, with military direction mostly coming from United States Central Command, seizing upon a power vacuum after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan after their invasion, the Taliban assumed the role of government from 1996–2001. Their extreme interpretation of Islamic law prompted them to ban music, television, sports, and dancing, amputation was an accepted form of punishment for stealing, and public executions could often be seen at the Kabul football stadium. Womens rights groups around the world were frequently critical as the Taliban banned women from appearing in public or holding many jobs outside the home and they drew further criticism when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamyan, historical statues nearly 1500 years old, because the Buddhas were considered idols. In 1996, Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan upon the invitation of the Northern Alliance leader Abdur Rabb ur Rasool Sayyaf, when the Taliban came to power, bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his al-Qaeda organization. It is understood that al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the 055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001 and it has been suggested that the Taliban and bin Laden had very close connections. On 20 September 2001, the U. S. stated that Osama bin Laden was behind the 11 September attacks in 2001, the US made a five-point ultimatum to the Taliban, Deliver to the U. S

47.
Tucson International Airport
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Tucson International Airport is a public joint civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson 8 mi south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings per year. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 1,779,679 enplanements in 2011, Tucson International is operated on a long-term lease by the Tucson Airport Authority, which also operates Ryan Airfield, a general aviation airport. Tucson International Airport is not a hub or focus city for any airline, public transportation to the airport is Sun Tran bus routes No.11 and No.25. In 1919 Tucson opened the first municipally owned airport in the United States, in 1928 commercial flights began with Standard Airlines, regular airmail service began in 1930. Park Ave. and E. 36th St, during World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces Air Technical Service Command. A contract flying school was operated by the USAAF West Coast Training Center from July 25,1942 until September 1944, in 1948 the Tucson Airport Authority was created as a non-profit corporation to operate the airport and oversee policy decisions. The nine member board is elected by a group of up to 115 volunteer residents from Pima County Arizona, the airport was moved to its current location south of Valencia Road and operated on the west ramp out of three hangars vacated by World War II military manufacturing companies. A new control tower was constructed in 1958 to replace the original WWII wooden framed version, the Tucson Airport Authority was also involved in bringing the Hughes Missile Plant to Tucson. In fact, in 1951, according to author David Leighton, in April 1957 airlines scheduled 21 departures a day,15 American,4 TWA and 2 Frontier. The first jet flights were operated by American Airlines with Boeing 707, during the mid and late 1970s, American was flying wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10 jets nonstop to Dallas/Ft. Worth and also to Chicago via a stop in Phoenix. By the late 1980s, American was operating Boeing 767-200 wide body jetliners from the airport with service to Dallas/Ft. The DC-10 and 767 were the largest jetliners ever to serve Tucson with scheduled passenger flights, on November 15,1963 a new terminal designed by Terry Atkinson opened with an international inspection station. The Tucson International Airport name was legitimate, Aeronaves de Mexico had begun Douglas DC-6 propliner service to Hermosillo, the terminal underwent minor remodeling during the 1960s and 1970s, and its interior was featured in the 1974 film Death Wish starring Charles Bronson. From the early 1970s to the early 1980s, Cochise Airlines was based in Tucson and this commuter airline operated Cessna 402 and Convair 440 propliners as well as de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Swearingen Metroliner turboprops during its existence. Cochise flew scheduled passenger service to a number of destinations in Arizona, a remodeling in 1985 doubled the size of the terminal from 150,000 to 300,000 sq ft and rebuilt the concourse into separate, two-level structures with jet bridges. A Concourse Renovation Project was finished in 2005 – the last phase of a remodeling begun in 2000 that added 82,000 sq ft to ticketing, construction of the tower is expected to commence in July 2014

A Galludet Tractor biplane which the New York National Guard aviators rented in 1915.

Captain Charles A. Lindbergh, Missouri National Guard, and members of his National Guard unit, 110th Observation Squadron, after he flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927.

Following a devastating blizzard in 1949, Colorado ANG C-47s dropped hay to stranded and starving livestock throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Altogether the Colorado Air Guardsmen flew 17 such missions dropping tons of hay that saved thousands of cattle and wildlife. Colorado ANG F-51s and A-26s also flew 10 reconnaissance missions during that emergency, 29 January 1949.

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during …

P-51D of 374th Fighter Squadron, with underwing drop tanks.

North American NA-73X, with short carburetor air intake scoop and the frameless, rounded windscreen. On the production Mustang Mk Is the latter was replaced with a three-piece unit incorporating a bullet-resistant windscreen

XP-51 41-039, one of two Mustang Mk Is handed over to the USAAC for testing

A Royal Air Force North American Mustang Mk III (FX908) on the ground at Hucknall